Abbott being Abbott

[atomheartbevo 89,648]

58 minutes ago, Sawbonz said:

He can’t reverse course on this one. Primary is too close

47 minutes ago, CooterBrown said:

Will he? That’s a deep red location. Does he ignore that one?

Abbott will ignore it.

The more interesting question is whether Huffines will - that's an area he's been catering to - the mask areas he's been hammering Abbot over have all been librool areas. I was surprised that Huffines even did the thoughts and prayers thing.  If you take away the mask stuff, that's a big chunk of the fake outrage that Huffines has been trying to generate through his twitter account.

This is a bit of a game changer, and I think more districts announced their mandates because of it.

Even West is doing the thoughts and prayers thing

 

[atomheartbevo 89,648]

 

[Beau Vine 54,211]

 

[Irwin F Fletcher 3,550]

 

It probably won't show up via Tapa, but this wins all the rep points allowed .

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

[jimmyjazz 45,899]

1 hour ago, JimmyJames said:

You accused Stevie ray vaughn from “stealing” from Jimi Hendrix. That’s such a dumb take that nobody is gonna take the time to bother to refute it. Especially me. 

It's a profoundly ignorant perspective.  Stevie Ray didn't steal from Jimi, he stole from Freddie King and Albert King but rocked it up.  Jimi Hendrix was abundantly aware of those guys and they informed his playing as well.

Jimmie hybridized the midwest blues of Freddie & Albert with B.B. King and Buddy Guy, but he distilled it down into more of a stinging, attacking style, whereas Stevie Ray veered into the rock realm.  Stevie Ray always said Jimmie could play him under the table.  Personally, I don't believe it, but I'm a much bigger fan of Stevie's blues rock than Jimmie's deep blues.  Can't argue the authenticity of either, but anyone who thinks Stevie Ray was ripping off Jimi Hendrix is a fucking idiot.  They were both ripping off the same guys.

Edited August 18, 2021 by jimmyjazz

[Hagbard Celine 10,853]

7 hours ago, sidis said:

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand greg abbott has covid.

/jeff goldbum

[Hagbard Celine 10,853]

12 minutes ago, Beau Vine said:

 

artistry and craftsmanship

[Born to Run 6,569]

When you’re in a hole, stop digging man. Nobody has ever argued jimmy ray was a better guitarist than Jimi Hendrix. 
 
You accused Stevie ray vaughn from “stealing” from Jimi Hendrix. That’s such a dumb take that nobody is gonna take the time to bother to refute it. Especially me. 

Wait this dude is going on a Texas board and shit talking SRV?

Then surprised at blow back?

Let me guess he clowns on sheep fucking on Tex Ags then is surprised when they ban him

[Hagbard Celine 10,853]

6 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

It's a profoundly ignorant perspective.  Stevie Ray didn't steal from Jimi, he stole from Freddie King and Albert King but rocked it up.  Jimi Hendrix was abundantly aware of those guys and they informed his playing as well.

Jimmie Lee hybridized the midwest blues of Freddie & Albert with B.B. King and Buddy Guy, but he distilled it down into more of a stinging, attacking style, whereas Stevie Ray veered into the rock realm.  Stevie Ray always said Jimmie could play him under the table.  Personally, I don't believe it, but I'm a much bigger fan of Stevie's blues rock than Jimmie's deep blues.  Can't argue the authenticity of either, but anyone who thinks Stevie Ray was ripping off Jimi Hendrix is a fucking idiot.  They were both ripping off the same guys.

1984.  October.   First semester on the 40.  Monday night.  Steamboat on 6th.   Wandered in and 8 or 9 people were sitting around watching a guy in a black hat riff freestyle.

About 1am, someone asked for the Star Spangled Banner.

The guy in the black hat said "sure, but I wasn't there, and neither were you".

Fair enough.

At 3am they finally made us all leave.

I asked the guy in the black hat if he wanted a ride.

He said "no, i'll walk."

And that's all i've got to say about that.

[WhatTheBuck 28,776]

2 hours ago, JimmyJames said:

When you’re in a hole, stop digging man. Nobody has ever argued jimmy ray was a better guitarist than Jimi Hendrix. 
 

You accused Stevie ray vaughn from “stealing” from Jimi Hendrix. That’s such a dumb take that nobody is gonna take the time to bother to refute it. Especially me. 

So you’re saying it’s so obvious that everyone sees it and to call attention to it is just stupid? My bad. 

[elfenix 34,230]

29 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

It's a profoundly ignorant perspective.  Stevie Ray didn't steal from Jimi, he stole from Freddie King and Albert King but rocked it up.  Jimi Hendrix was abundantly aware of those guys and they informed his playing as well.

Jimmie hybridized the midwest blues of Freddie & Albert with B.B. King and Buddy Guy, but he distilled it down into more of a stinging, attacking style, whereas Stevie Ray veered into the rock realm.  Stevie Ray always said Jimmie could play him under the table.  Personally, I don't believe it, but I'm a much bigger fan of Stevie's blues rock than Jimmie's deep blues.  Can't argue the authenticity of either, but anyone who thinks Stevie Ray was ripping off Jimi Hendrix is a fucking idiot.  They were both ripping off the same guys.

username checks out

[conVINCEd 21,469]

1 minute ago, WhatTheBuck said:

So you’re saying it’s so obvious that everyone sees it and to call attention to it is just stupid? My bad. 

You’re doing the equivalent of a UT fan showing up on an OSU board and calling Woody Hayes a cocksucker.

[JimmyJames 12,271]

10 minutes ago, conVINCEd said:

You’re doing the equivalent of a UT fan showing up on an OSU board and calling Woody Hayes a cocksucker.

I mean there’s a statue of the guy next to town lake. The first statue I know of erected in Austin. 

[conVINCEd 21,469]

1 minute ago, JimmyJames said:

I mean there’s a statue of the guy next to town lake. The first statue I know of erected in Austin. 

I’m not a big  music guy, but the reverence in which SRV is held in Austin was apparent to me very shortly after I arrived.

[Brisketexan 105,095]

I mean there’s a statue of the guy next to town lake. The first statue I know of erected in Austin. 

We have a statue of Woody Hayes? Makes no sense. He was a real cocksucker.

[JimmyJames 12,271]

1 minute ago, Brisketexan said:

We have a statue of Woody Hayes? Makes no sense. He was a real cocksucker.

If a statute of woody Hayes existed in Austin it would have been torn down and thrown in the lake 30 years ago. 

[WhatTheBuck 28,776]

18 minutes ago, conVINCEd said:

You’re doing the equivalent of a UT fan showing up on an OSU board and calling Woody Hayes a cocksucker.

No, it’s the equivalent of you going to an OSU board and saying Woody wasn’t great at X’s and O’s and his offense was boring. 

[conVINCEd 21,469]

2 minutes ago, WhatTheBuck said:

No, it’s the equivalent of you going to an OSU board and saying Woody wasn’t great at X’s and O’s and his offense was boring. 

I’m going to bow out of the music debate, I’m not qualified to go any further, but I was unaware of the esteem in which SRV was held until I was a student at UT.  I thought an out of state visitor to this site might be similarly unaware.

[Chooky 13,307]

5 minutes ago, WhatTheBuck said:

No, it’s the equivalent of you going to an OSU board and saying Woody wasn’t great at X’s and O’s and his offense was boring. 

Excuse me, sir, please don't defecate in the kitchen sink.  Yeah, I know the entire area can be disinfected and pressure washed, but there's a way better option for everyone.

[DDD Dad 14,332]

6 minutes ago, WhatTheBuck said:

No, it’s the equivalent of you going to an OSU board and saying Woody wasn’t great at X’s and O’s and his offense was boring. 

But he was good at punching opposing team’s players so he had that going for him. 

[Jive Turkey 12,594]

16 minutes ago, conVINCEd said:

I’m not a big  music guy, but the reverence in which SRV is held in Austin was apparent to me very shortly after I arrived.

Which is kind of odd because SRV always was and forever will be an Oak Cliff guy.  

[conVINCEd 21,469]

12 minutes ago, Jive Turkey said:

Which is kind of odd because SRV always was and forever will be an Oak Cliff guy.  

The only time I spent in Oak Cliff as a kid was when I was playing basketball or boxing.  They weren’t playing SRV at those events in the 90’s.

[MaybeACoordinator 8,349]

3 hours ago, cmontexas said:

 

Does Jimmie steal Stevie Ray’s licks the same way his brother stole them from Jimi?

This reminds me of when my son accused U2 of being a Coldplay ripoff band. My son was 12 at the time. 

[Bevo14 8,304]

11 minutes ago, MaybeACoordinator said:

This reminds me of when my son accused U2 of being a Coldplay ripoff band. 

[elfenix 34,230]

1 hour ago, conVINCEd said:

You’re doing the equivalent of a UT fan showing up on an OSU board and calling Woody Hayes a cocksucker.

 

[Burt 4,080]

May Covid finish what the tree couldn't.

[RPM 26,318]

9 hours ago, faps said:

[UDontKnow 10,444]

4 hours ago, Sawbonz said:

He can’t reverse course on this one. Primary is too close

Even if Hot Wheels went into reverse gear, would it truly hurt his reelection chances?

[justhookit 4,191]

On 8/16/2021 at 3:15 PM, Brisketexan said:

Caveat: except it IS how the law of the land works....when you have a captive, sycophant high court (SCOTX).  This is actually a much bigger concern.  One-party rule for any extended period of time can lead to some crappy court approaches.  But what we're seeing here is a court that's functionally abandoning even the need to APPEAR to be non-partisan and bound by the law.

Abbott: "the law lets me do whatever I want."  SCOTX: "yep, that's right.  Nah, we didn't bother to read any of the law or statutes, we just remembered Abbott is an (R), so he wins."  And I'm exaggerating only slightly.

You aren’t wrong at all. But it’s always been this way in Texas. My dad was on staff for Bullock when he was comptroller, back when I was around 10, so 1980ish. One of my favorite stories he tells from back then was something along the lines of they passed a tax bill in closed session and then spent the next few hours trying to figure out what they were going to tell the press. They all lie. I miss those days as a child when I got to hang out outside Cloak Room and give the ants the leftover beers. Good times. I had no idea what was going on. I got a LOT of ants drunk. If I would have been about 6 years older I would have concentrated on getting myself drunk. BCBS had their lobbying offices upstairs from the cloak room. Veranda and all the cocaine was just out behind it but that might have been a more 70’s place like when the original version of Caucus Club was around.

Anyway, that’s a lot of words to say I agree but I don’t recall SCOTX back then, or it even being an issue. They (likely) fell in line with the Democrats back then like they do for Abbott now. We are dealing with some stupid fuckers, and we were back then too. At least I don’t think any of them are alcoholics now. The more things change……..

[justhookit 4,191]

And then you have someone like Bob Armstrong, most known for his Matt’s queso, but for good or bad, had a huge influence on where Austin is currently. He dabbled in state politics and I think he was Texas GLO commissioner, and then later worked for Clinton when he was president but I don’t recall what he did on that staff. At some point he ran for governor. He sat on many boards and probably had much more influence in Texas and Austin politics than White, Richards, or Clements ever had. Especially Austin. He unfortunately passed, but would consider me a friend if he was still here. I was out with him and his wife not long before he died; his son was playing at Austin Beer Works. To be clear, I was with them because my dad -a republican- knew him. I just got lucky enough to hang out multiple times. While he was a Democrat he didn’t give a shit about my politics, he was good people.

Clay Johnson who was the 2nd Bush’s appointments secretary while Bush was Texas governor, is a ut grad and I believe worked on staff for Bush when he was president, maybe as appointment secretary again . I know him, his wife, and kids. I know these people and they are good people. I doubt they ever would have worked for Trump, and if they did they’d quit. Not everyone is an asshat.

none of these people are unvaccinated, and they aren’t passing a message to not get vaccinated.

The rest of these fucks denying Covid, or working against masks, or especially doing any kind of thing to deny that the vaccine works or even imply that it’s not something that will likely will save your life,  well they can go get fucked.

TLDR; @Brisketexan and I end up looking like we are arguing when in fact we are on the exact same page. We can all get along. Be careful peeps.

Edited August 18, 2021 by justhookit

[Sawbonz 27,547]

6 hours ago, DDD Dad said:

But he was good at punching opposing team’s players so he had that going for him. 

Odds are pretty good he covered for pedophile(s) as well. Seems to be a a big 10 tradition

[South Austin 52,463]

1 minute ago, Sawbonz said:

Odds are pretty good he covered for pedophile(s) as well. Seems to be a a big 10 tradition

He stole that from Bo Schembechler.

[Radical Larry 28,582]

Even if Hot Wheels went into reverse gear, would it truly hurt his reelection chances?

[Doc Sam Beckett 5,792]

14 hours ago, Anastasis said:

Hmmm...

Pfizer...checks calendar...eight months ago. 

Any idea how long ago he received the third shot? Shouldn't the booster increase protection against a breakthrough infection? This is the interesting part of the story imo

[Bozo_Casanova 26,444]

6 hours ago, conVINCEd said:

The only time I spent in Oak Cliff as a kid was when I was playing basketball or boxing.  They weren’t playing SRV at those events in the 90’s.

 

7 hours ago, Jive Turkey said:

Which is kind of odd because SRV always was and forever will be an Oak Cliff guy.  

My Dad went to Kimball with Jimmie and my Aunt was with Stevie (until he got expelled).

[Huckleberry 32,851]

7 hours ago, WhatTheBuck said:

No, it’s the equivalent of you going to an OSU board and saying Woody wasn’t great at X’s and O’s and his offense was boring. 

Completely unsurprising that you just skipped the post where @jimmyjazzdropped the truth on you and are just pretending like it didn't happen. If you also want to pretend that you're not a troll then the rest of us will just have to accept that you're a genuine idiot, and a cowardly one at that. 

[The Dog 44,020]

Absolutely scathing editorial from the Chronicle this morning:

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/editorials/article/Editorial-How-can-Abbott-protect-Texas-from-16394012.php

[Chewy's Hairy Horn 868]

Jesus. Enough with the SRV troll feeding on the “Is Abbott Dead Yet?” thread.  
 

If you really want to settle it, roll for initiative and get that shit over with. 

[Anastasis 23,469]

Goes good with coffee.

"I'd like to talk with you for a second if I can..."

 

[Anastasis 23,469]

27 minutes ago, Doc Sam Beckett said:

Any idea how long ago he received the third shot? Shouldn't the booster increase protection against a breakthrough infection? This is the interesting part of the story imo

Posted that before the news that he got a third. No idea, but would imagine it was within the last week or so. Agree, it's an interesting part of the story that needs to be fully explained. 

[sidis 9,826]

The rare double-double. Impressive!

[atomheartbevo 89,648]

1 hour ago, The Dog said:

Absolutely scathing editorial from the Chronicle this morning:

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/editorials/article/Editorial-How-can-Abbott-protect-Texas-from-16394012.php

[Kyrie Eleison 9,312]

10 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

fucking Chronicle paywall...

[Hagbard Celine 10,853]

yeah it sucked.... one second i got around it

[The Dog 44,020]

4 minutes ago, Kyrie Eleison said:

fucking Chronicle paywall...

Spoiler

Personal responsibility, apparently, is for the little people.

The powerful have Regeneron cocktails at the ready.

The powerful have good health insurance and doctors who make house calls.The powerful can quarantine in the comforts of a taxpayer-funded mansion in downtown Austin.

That’s one takeaway from the announcement Tuesday that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has COVID-19 — the very day after he tweeted about his appearance at “another standing room only event in Collin County” attended by an estimated 600 people. The tweet included photos of the event in which the maskless governor waves from a stage, facing a tight crowd of applauding supporters — nary a mask in sight.

How can we trust the governor to protect Texas from this raging pandemic when he won’t even protect himself — or, for that matter, his supporters?

We wish the governor a speedy recovery, which is highly likely given that he is fully vaccinated and was reportedly experiencing no symptoms — yet another reminder how even though breakthrough infections occur, they rarely involve severe illness, prolonged hospital stays or death.

 

The bigger concern is whether Abbott exposed any of his unvaccinated supporters in one of his many campaign events, where photos have shown him rubbing elbows without a mask in large indoor gatherings, at times in up-close-and-personal conversation, at times squeezing in for photos or sharing a laugh under a crowded tent.

What happened to the governor’s March speech, where he announced that Texans had “mastered” the safety protocols such as masks and distancing that can stop the spread of COVID? What happened to the worn-out phrase he regurgitates every time he defends his callous ban on local mask requirements: “We’re past the time of government mandates, we’re into the time of personal responsibility.”

If a man elected to lead nearly 30 million Texans can’t be trusted to act responsibly, how can he effectively persuade others?

We’re not just talking about the upper-income folks who attend Republican gubernatorial fundraisers.

We’re talking about the millions of children returning to school who can’t be vaccinated. We’re talking about the rural Texans who must travel an hour to a hospital, only to find there are no beds available. We’re talking about the multitudes of Texans who have no health insurance and no relationship with a trusted doctor who can inform them about vaccines.

Texans are watching you, governor. What are you showing them?

Not a champion of personal freedom. Only a mascot of incompetence.

An elected chief executive who is now contagious and home-bound because he refused to follow his own advice to the little people.

A governor who not only refuses to lead an effective campaign urging Texans to protect themselves and their communities, but actively threatens to punish and sue local leaders who try to impose safety requirements such as mask-wearing.

Sure, many Republicans had a great deal of fun chiding the COVID cases among Democrats who flew on a chartered plane without masks to DC in early June. They should have worn masks. But their indiscretion came at a time when many Texans were happily tossing our masks after becoming fully vaccinated.

We had done our part — or so we thought. We didn’t account for the new, more contagious delta variant and the millions of fellow Texans who did not get the jab, and still won’t wear so much as a mask to stop the spread. We didn’t account for a governor who condones their irresponsible conduct with his own.

Abbott’s carefree maskless outings come as Texas is experiencing what health experts call the worst surge of the pandemic.

Across Texas, more than 11,700 are hospitalized for COVID. Rural hospitals are turning away patients — COVID and non-COVID — and trying to fly critical ones out of state for care, watching some die in the process.

In Harris County, the largest contiguous medical center in the world is spilling over with the highest number of COVID patients ever admitted. Local officials say several hundred can’t even get in the door.

Houston has reached the grim milestone of more than 3,000 COVID deaths and officials announced Tuesday that one in every five Houstonians getting tested is positive.

The state’s response has been too little too late. While the health department recently announced it was opening nine infusion centers for Texans to receive Regeneron’s experimental monoclonal antibody treatment that can help mild cases avoid hospitalization, NBC News reported on Monday that Texas had also requested five mortuary trailers from the federal government in anticipation of an influx of dead bodies.

Abbott likes to say, in another context, “the most precious freedom is life itself.” We agree. More than 54,000 Texans have lost theirs now — some because they believed vaccine conspiracies and some because they believed political leaders who claim a face mask is more tyrannical than a deadly infectious disease.

The governor is reportedly feeling fine, self-isolating and receiving the Regeneron treatment as a precaution.

He seems to be in good hands. If only we could say the same for Texas.

 

Dunno why it's giving you that. 

[Hagbard Celine 10,853]

chronicle scathing.....

Editorial: How can Abbott protect Texas from COVID when he can't protect himself?

The Editorial Board

Aug. 17, 2021Updated: Aug. 18, 2021 6:23 a.m.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott takes off his mask during a press conference on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott takes off his mask during a press conference on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020.

Ricardo Brazziell, Photojournalist / Ricardo B. Brazziell

Personal responsibility, apparently, is for the little people.

The powerful have Regeneron cocktails at the ready.

The powerful have good health insurance and doctors who make house calls.

The powerful can quarantine in the comforts of a taxpayer-funded mansion in downtown Austin.

That’s one takeaway from the announcement Tuesday that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has COVID-19 — the very day after he tweeted about his appearance at “another standing room only event in Collin County” attended by an estimated 600 people. The tweet included photos of the event in which the maskless governor waves from a stage, facing a tight crowd of applauding supporters — nary a mask in sight.

How can we trust the governor to protect Texas from this raging pandemic when he won’t even protect himself — or, for that matter, his supporters?

We wish the governor a speedy recovery, which is highly likely given that he is fully vaccinated and was reportedly experiencing no symptoms — yet another reminder how even though breakthrough infections occur, they rarely involve severe illness, prolonged hospital stays or death.

The bigger concern is whether Abbott exposed any of his unvaccinated supporters in one of his many campaign events, where photos have shown him rubbing elbows without a mask in large indoor gatherings, at times in up-close-and-personal conversation, at times squeezing in for photos or sharing a laugh under a crowded tent.

What happened to the governor’s March speech, where he announced that Texans had “mastered” the safety protocols such as masks and distancing that can stop the spread of COVID? What happened to the worn-out phrase he regurgitates every time he defends his callous ban on local mask requirements: “We’re past the time of government mandates, we’re into the time of personal responsibility.”

If a man elected to lead nearly 30 million Texans can’t be trusted to act responsibly, how can he effectively persuade others?

We’re not just talking about the upper-income folks who attend Republican gubernatorial fundraisers.

We’re talking about the millions of children returning to school who can’t be vaccinated. We’re talking about the rural Texans who must travel an hour to a hospital, only to find there are no beds available. We’re talking about the multitudes of Texans who have no health insurance and no relationship with a trusted doctor who can inform them about vaccines.

Texans are watching you, governor. What are you showing them?

Not a champion of personal freedom. Only a mascot of incompetence.

An elected chief executive who is now contagious and home-bound because he refused to follow his own advice to the little people.

A governor who not only refuses to lead an effective campaign urging Texans to protect themselves and their communities, but actively threatens to punish and sue local leaders who try to impose safety requirements such as mask-wearing.

Sure, many Republicans had a great deal of fun chiding the COVID cases among Democrats who flew on a chartered plane without masks to DC in early June. They should have worn masks. But their indiscretion came at a time when many Texans were happily tossing our masks after becoming fully vaccinated.

We had done our part — or so we thought. We didn’t account for the new, more contagious delta variant and the millions of fellow Texans who did not get the jab, and still won’t wear so much as a mask to stop the spread. We didn’t account for a governor who condones their irresponsible conduct with his own.

Abbott’s carefree maskless outings come as Texas is experiencing what health experts call the worst surge of the pandemic.

Across Texas, more than 11,700 are hospitalized for COVID. Rural hospitals are turning away patients — COVID and non-COVID — and trying to fly critical ones out of state for care, watching some die in the process.

In Harris County, the largest contiguous medical center in the world is spilling over with the highest number of COVID patients ever admitted. Local officials say several hundred can’t even get in the door.

Houston has reached the grim milestone of more than 3,000 COVID deaths and officials announced Tuesday that one in every five Houstonians getting tested is positive.

The state’s response has been too little too late. While the health department recently announced it was opening nine infusion centers for Texans to receive Regeneron’s experimental monoclonal antibody treatment that can help mild cases avoid hospitalization, NBC News reported on Monday that Texas had also requested five mortuary trailers from the federal government in anticipation of an influx of dead bodies.

Abbott likes to say, in another context, “the most precious freedom is life itself.” We agree. More than 54,000 Texans have lost theirs now — some because they believed vaccine conspiracies and some because they believed political leaders who claim a face mask is more tyrannical than a deadly infectious disease.

The governor is reportedly feeling fine, self-isolating and receiving the Regeneron treatment as a precaution.

He seems to be in good hands. If only we could say the same for Texas.

[4th&Five 41,525]

1 hour ago, The Dog said:

Absolutely scathing editorial from the Chronicle this morning:

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/editorials/article/Editorial-How-can-Abbott-protect-Texas-from-16394012.php

“Texans are watching you, governor. What are you showing them? Not a champion of personal freedom. Only a mascot of incompetence.”

[DigglerontheHoof 21,186]

That editorial is great and all but he'll get nominated and reelected with zero problem.  

[Post Oak 20,210]

 

"Texans are watching you, governor. What are you showing them?

Not a champion of personal freedom. Only a mascot of incompetence."

[Nice Guy Eddie 13,510]

39 minutes ago, Kyrie Eleison said:

fucking Chronicle paywall...

Spoiler

The Editorial Board

Personal responsibility, apparently, is for the little people.

The powerful have Regeneron cocktails at the ready.

The powerful have good health insurance and doctors who make house calls.

The powerful can quarantine in the comforts of a taxpayer-funded mansion in downtown Austin.

That’s one takeaway from the announcement Tuesday that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has COVID-19 — the very day after he tweeted about his appearance at “another standing room only event in Collin County” attended by an estimated 600 people. The tweet included photos of the event in which the maskless governor waves from a stage, facing a tight crowd of applauding supporters — nary a mask in sight.

How can we trust the governor to protect Texas from this raging pandemic when he won’t even protect himself — or, for that matter, his supporters?

We wish the governor a speedy recovery, which is highly likely given that he is fully vaccinated and was reportedly experiencing no symptoms — yet another reminder how even though breakthrough infections occur, they rarely involve severe illness, prolonged hospital stays or death.

The bigger concern is whether Abbott exposed any of his unvaccinated supporters in one of his many campaign events, where photos have shown him rubbing elbows without a mask in large indoor gatherings, at times in up-close-and-personal conversation, at times squeezing in for photos or sharing a laugh under a crowded tent.

What happened to the governor’s March speech, where he announced that Texans had “mastered” the safety protocols such as masks and distancing that can stop the spread of COVID? What happened to the worn-out phrase he regurgitates every time he defends his callous ban on local mask requirements: “We’re past the time of government mandates, we’re into the time of personal responsibility.”

If a man elected to lead nearly 30 million Texans can’t be trusted to act responsibly, how can he effectively persuade others?

We’re not just talking about the upper-income folks who attend Republican gubernatorial fundraisers.

We’re talking about the millions of children returning to school who can’t be vaccinated. We’re talking about the rural Texans who must travel an hour to a hospital, only to find there are no beds available. We’re talking about the multitudes of Texans who have no health insurance and no relationship with a trusted doctor who can inform them about vaccines.

Texans are watching you, governor. What are you showing them?

Not a champion of personal freedom. Only a mascot of incompetence.

An elected chief executive who is now contagious and home-bound because he refused to follow his own advice to the little people.

A governor who not only refuses to lead an effective campaign urging Texans to protect themselves and their communities, but actively threatens to punish and sue local leaders who try to impose safety requirements such as mask-wearing.

Sure, many Republicans had a great deal of fun chiding the COVID cases among Democrats who flew on a chartered plane without masks to DC in early June. They should have worn masks. But their indiscretion came at a time when many Texans were happily tossing our masks after becoming fully vaccinated.

We had done our part — or so we thought. We didn’t account for the new, more contagious delta variant and the millions of fellow Texans who did not get the jab, and still won’t wear so much as a mask to stop the spread. We didn’t account for a governor who condones their irresponsible conduct with his own.

Abbott’s carefree maskless outings come as Texas is experiencing what health experts call the worst surge of the pandemic.

Across Texas, more than 11,700 are hospitalized for COVID. Rural hospitals are turning away patients — COVID and non-COVID — and trying to fly critical ones out of state for care, watching some die in the process.

In Harris County, the largest contiguous medical center in the world is spilling over with the highest number of COVID patients ever admitted. Local officials say several hundred can’t even get in the door.

Houston has reached the grim milestone of more than 3,000 COVID deaths and officials announced Tuesday that one in every five Houstonians getting tested is positive.

The state’s response has been too little too late. While the health department recently announced it was opening nine infusion centers for Texans to receive Regeneron’s experimental monoclonal antibody treatment that can help mild cases avoid hospitalization, NBC News reported on Monday that Texas had also requested five mortuary trailers from the federal government in anticipation of an influx of dead bodies.

Abbott likes to say, in another context, “the most precious freedom is life itself.” We agree. More than 54,000 Texans have lost theirs now — some because they believed vaccine conspiracies and some because they believed political leaders who claim a face mask is more tyrannical than a deadly infectious disease.

The governor is reportedly feeling fine, self-isolating and receiving the Regeneron treatment as a precaution.

He seems to be in good hands. If only we could say the same for Texas.

I had to copy and paste sections so there could be some mistakes with that